Biography
Luis Engelke is a trumpeter, composer, and scholar, and Professor of Music at Towson University. He is principal trumpet of the Lancaster, Brandywine Valley, and Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestras, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and the Shippensburg Music Festival, and he plays about 150 concerts each year as a soloist, orchestral player, and chamber musician. He is Music Reviews Editor of the International Trumpet Guild Journal and a Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician. A former member of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira and Concert Artists of Baltimore, Engelke has played with more than 50 professional orchestras. These include the symphonies of Allentown, Baltimore, Delaware, Harrisburg, Maryland, Phoenix, Reading, Richmond, San Diego, Sydney (Australia), Williamsburg, and York, as well as the Thailand Philharmonic, Ocean City (NJ) Pops, Delaware Opera Orchestra, Opera Baltimore Orchestra, and Annapolis Opera Orchestra. He has been featured as soloist with the Endless Mountain Festival Orchestra, Rome Festival Orchestra, Orquestra Eintracht, Naval Academy Band, and Lancaster British Brass Band, and his solo career has taken him to North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. He has also shared the stage with Andrea Bocelli, Sierra Boggess, Celtic Woman, The Irish Tenors, Il Divo, Mannheim Steamroller, The Moody Blues, and The Rock Orchestra (London), as well as Brazilian legends Paulo Moura, Ivan Lins, Sivuca, and Zé da Velha.
Engelke has appeared on more than 50 commercial recordings for Pro-Arte, Decca, Innova, Aurora, Canyon, and other labels, and for the video game studio Oxide Games. His recording work also includes collaborations with Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai and trumpet solos for the film soundtracks of Villa-Lobos: Sua Vida de Paixão, Stories of the Land, and Elefteria. His solo albums A Brazilian Collection; Songs, Remembrances, and Impressions; and Sounds of the Chesapeake have received critical acclaim, including Global Music Awards. His most recent album, Revelation: Ten Works for Trumpet and Electronics, features his own compositions for trumpet and fixed media (audio and video) that respond to recent world events, from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine to artificial intelligence, the environment, and street art. The works are published individually and as a book. His compositions, arrangements, and editions are published by Art of Sound Music, Balquhidder Music, E.C. Schirmer, Hickman Music Editions, and Triplo Press in the United States and by Topp Brass in Switzerland. His anthology of Brazilian trumpet solos (Balquhidder Music) includes first editions of important works from his native Brazil, and his own music has been performed at international conferences and festivals. In 2025, his creative work, including Revelation, earned the University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Creativity.
As a scholar, Engelke has written over 350 publications, including articles in the International Trumpet Guild Journal, Jazz Educators Journal, College Music Symposium, The Double Reed, and The International Musician. Through his own commissions and as chair of the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Commissions Committee, he has added new international works to the trumpet repertoire by Clarice Assad, Gwyneth Walker, Michael Daugherty, Antônio Guerreiro, R. Carlos Nakai, Wang Ning, Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, Omar Thomas, Nestor de Hollanda Cavalcanti, and Julian Wachner. At Towson, Engelke co-directs the College of Fine Arts and Communication CoLab, and his work connects music teaching, technology, and accessibility. He is a past board member of ITG and a past Vice President of the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore (Local 40-543 of the American Federation of Musicians), which honored him with its Distinguished Service Award. His research and performance have been supported by CAPES-Fulbright, the Ford Foundation, the League of American Orchestras, the Music Teachers National Association, ITG, and Rádio MEC. He has taught at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, Arizona State University, and Ohio State University. A frequent guest artist and lecturer, he gives master classes and recitals worldwide.